Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh (15 August 1967-) was an Indian guru, filmmaker, actor, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He supported the Bharatiya Janata Party, and his 28 August 2017 conviction for rape led to deadly protests across India.

Biography
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was born in Sri Gurusar Modia, Rajasthan, India on 15 August 1967, and he was granted sainthood in 1990. Singh crusaded against drugs, alcohol, and prostitution, while supporting sanitation drives and welfare; he gained a "larger-than-life" image and the support of thousands of Indians. Ram Rahim became a controversial filmmaker and actor, with many of his films being poor-quality and considered as propaganda.

Ram Rahim originally supported the socialist Indian National Congress, but his Dera Sacha Sauda social group's support for Congress alienated its Sikh support base and led to poor results in the 2012 Punjab state elections. His cult lost much of its political power as a result of the election, but Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi praised Ram Rahim in order to gain Dera's support in the 2014 Haryana state elections and the Delhi assembly elections of 2015.

Rahm Rahim was also controversial for mocking Sikh and Hindu religious figures and the Adivasi tribe, and he was accused of rape, murder, and forced castrations. On 25 August 2017, he was convicted of rape, leading to the deaths of over 38 people in widespread rioting across northern India. On 28 August, he was sentenced to 20 years in jail.